Middle Child of the Rising Sun
by Storymaster Caith
Summary: Kento Rei-Fuan- or, more appropriatly, Shuu-Jinn Rei-Fuan- has been summoned back to China by his mother. Shuu-Jinn's been nursing secrets- and he's very good at keeping people quiet...
1. Default Chapter

Middle Child of the Rising Sun  
By: Caith  
  
Notes: Hi! I love the Ronin Warriors but spend most of my time in the DBZ section. However, I noticed the unholy lack of Kento-centered fics and decided I needed to step in. So, here we are. This fic is centered around Kento, with possible shounen-ai pairings in the future. I'm using my limited knowledge of Chinese legend, so no one get too pissed if I screw something up, okay? I know that 'Shuu' is Kento's original name, but since I like the name Kento it made more sense to switch it to Chinese.  
  
lalalalathis indicates thoughts  
  
lalalala indicates a footnote at the end of the chapter  
  
Disclaimer: If you think I own this, then you need therapy. I own none of the Ronin Warriors, Warlords, The Koji manor, nor do I own China or Japan, though that might change once my Global domination plan takes effect in 2006.  
  
Right. Critics welcome, flamers get the fuck out, not interested in hearing you rant. Here's the prologue.  
  
Prologue: Can you Keep a Secret?  
  
Everyone has secrets. Well, perhaps not everyone has those deep down secrets, the ones that you have to murder to protect. But I have one of those. My name is Kento- no, that's not right. Kento is my Japanese name. My real name? It's Shuu-Jinn. I'm Chinese- well, half Chinese. Chinese mother, Japanese Father. My parents never agreed on anything, and finally my dad disappeared. My mother sent me to Japan for a few years, to live with my Uncle, his Wife, and their kids. I helped run a restaurant. There was another reason my mother sent me there.  
  
I still remember the battles I fought- the armor I donned. Japanese armor. A Ronin Warrior- the Ronin of Earth, Hardrock. I remember my friends, all my Japanese friends- fighting by my side to end a war on the world, brought on by a netherworld demon. I remember the warlords, four of them. Kayura runs the nether realm now, and she brought him back to his body. Good for her.  
  
But they can't understand, my Japanese friends. They don't know that my Aunt and Uncle aren't my real parents, and they don't know that I'm half Chinese. They don't know that I have a twin brother named Kou-Jinn, or that besides fighting with the glaive I'm also a master of a specialized martial art.  
  
But then, they never bothered to learn a whole hell of a lot, did they? No, they didn't. It was always easy to assume that I was a walking muscle, without much care in the world. Blissfully clueless of anything and everything. I was the one with the wide dumbass grin, ready to do anything for his friends. They always thought of me that way, and I let them. It made life easier.  
  
But that's just not the case anymore.  
  
A year. It's been a year, and we were all going to Han a' High. I got the letter sometime around Christmas. I holed myself up in my room for a day, thinking. Mother wanted me to go home. She said it was urgent.  
  
Who was I to refuse?  
  
End Prologue  
  
Wellll? Was that okay, for a first shot? I've written several before, but they've never been posted. So, Read, Review, be merry, for tomorrow we suffer from lack of OAVs and it shall be well with us.  
  
- I think Kento fights with a Glaive. I haven't seen the weapon in a while, so I'm not one hundred percent sure. Anyone else know? 


	2. Priest of Blood

Three reviews. Hm. Sounds good enough for me to keep writing this thing. So here is the second chapter in all of it's glory, which is really nothing at all once you think about it. Same goes as for the first one, flamers can put their heads between their knees and kiss their butts goodbye, constructive criticism, however, is welcomed. Yes, as it progresses, this will be a Yaoi story, so you might want to run now, little children.

lalalaindicates thoughts

lalalala indicates footnotes at the end of the chapter.

Another note: As this story progresses, you will realize that while I know a little bit about the five Chinese Gods thanks mostly to curiosity and Fushugii Yugii I know little to nada about how Chinese families interact. There might be places where this work clashes with what really happens in China, so consider it a type of AU- which is just a way to get my ass off the line.

_**Chapter 2: **_

**Priest of Blood **

I didn't tell anyone that I was going.

Not like they'd care, anyway...well, perhaps Cye. But that's only because Cye sees himself as an older brother, watching out for me when the others have given up, convinced my very nature doesn't allow for intelligent conversations.

But I already have an older brother. Several. However, Kou is only older by an hour, so I don't see how that makes him more world wise than me.

We touched down in the Hong Kong Airport at around ten in the morning. I didn't even know who I was watching for- until I saw Chong standing at the entrance to the gate, holding a sign. Chong has been the family servant- well, one of them- for at least twenty years. My brothers and I used to make bets on how long it would take before he would die from shock.

We're still waiting. My money is on the next century, when I tell him I'm going to Yale.

"Young master Shuu," he said, smiling at me. He never adds the 'jinn' on the end, which I suppose is a good thing- mother is the only one who calls any of us by our full names.

"Hello, Chong," I said, balancing my carry on bag and laptop in one hand while juggling a CD player in the other. He managed to get the hint and took the bag, leaving me with the computer and the CD player. He led me out of the airport.

Mother didn't want me going through customs. Which was good, since all of my practice weapons were in the 'cello case' that came down the ramp. Cheesy and cliche? Yes, but effective.

The car was parked right outside- an American Bently in a deep cherry red I've never been too fond of. But then again, I don't own it, Jou does. So who can complain? Chong drove us out of the city and into the countryside, not stopping anywhere. The roads into the mountains were mostly deserted, meaning it was probably market day in the lower city. There is always a big rush for that.

We pulled up to the gate, and Chong buzzed us in. He took the liberty of going around the back of the 'house'- in reality? A huge, sprawling Chinese mansion.

Hey, everyone has secrets. I'm goddamn rich- so what?

I removed my shoes and entered the house, keeping a watchful eye for any of the maids. They mean well, but they always manage to alert my mother to my presence before I am ready. And since I was wearing jeans and a T shirt, I preferred to not have any of them spot me until I'd changed.

I walked down the hall, watching the lacquered paper walls as I went by. I was thinking about how similar the cultures were- Japan, and China. Vietnam, too, though I'd never been there- when someone ran full into me.

"YOU JERK!! Why didn't you come home sooner?!"

I looked down- into the irritated purple eyes of my sister, Shun-Yin. She bounced, her pigtails flying as she tried to leverage herself up to look at me. I hastily covered her mouth and dragged her down the hall, into another room- mine, overlooking the mountains. She gasped for air when I let go and glared at me.

"You took forever, Dah Geh" she said, but softer this time, because she knew what I was up to. I smiled guiltily- Mother had intended for me to be back before the Ronin affair, but once one gets called on by destiny there isn't much one can do.

"I explained it in a letter. Didn't Kou read it to you?"

"No, he didn't! And his was in Japanese. Mother wouldn't let me near the Chinese version, because she was scrying the whole night through to make sure you were safe!!"

I winced. Leave it up to my mother to not tell anyone anything.

"Look, Shun, I'll talk to you after I meet mother, okay? Go play."

She looked suspiciously at me, but skipped out the door. I sighed with relief and slumped against it, observing the room.

It was well kept, but that was more to Kou's credit then to the maids- they had the habit of skipping over mine and my brother's rooms. The futon was still there, and so was the small writing desk. In the corner, the shrine to the five gods still stood, it's incense new and unlit. I did that first, praying separately for each god, and then changed.

My mother likes having the more formal Chinese clothes, rather than normal street clothes. I was sure my shoulders had gotten somewhat broader since I went to Japan, but my wardrobe had been altered- thanks, once again, to Kou- and they were all freshly cleaned. I took one out and pulled it on. The pants were gi-like, black silk, ballooning slightly at the ankle. The shirt, also silk, was long sleeved, coming down to my thighs and belted with a black sash. the collar was a mandarin design, and the frog clips coming up the front were grey. I pulled on the black slippers, thinking with chagrin that these things were much easier to rip than Japanese Samurai footwear. Once I was done, I stood.

Mother was waiting.

She would be in the shrine to the five gods, where most of the family business took place. I went there, once again careful not to run into any maids. When I got the doors, I almost hesitated- then knocked twice. That was the sign.

"Shuu-Jinn of the Rei-Fuan family," I heard a dry voice announce, and recognized it as another one of the servants, Kang. Then the doors were opened, and I stood before my mother.

In her youth she had been a beauty; now age gave her majesty and grace. Her gray hair was almost down to her feet, and when she was sitting it flowed around her in a waterfall of silver. Her kimono was purple, as purple as her eyes, and her old face was drawn tight with an emotionless mask. I bowed low, and waited.

"Shuu-Jinn,." she said, "Come and talk to me."

That was the signal. I walked forward and kneeled before her, eyes on the floor. She gently raised a hand and made me look up. She smiled at me, and the warmth of her hand undid the knot of tension in my chest, just a little.

"Shuu-Jinn, you came quickly," she observed. "Thank you for your promptness."

"Yes, Mother." I hadn't neglected to notice that all the servants had left the room, probably to tell the others I was back. I looked up at her. "Mother.... I thought I was to continue my training in Japan. Why have you called me back?"

She smiled and motioned for me to stop kneeling. I did, and took up the tailor's seat I was more accustomed too. Some days mother is in love with tradition- and others she just does not care.

"You are here, my dear Shuu-Jinn," she said softly, "Because the Kirin has called a new priest."


End file.
